Ferdinand

Well done.

I am looking for a new TV / Broadband / Phone setup. Currently I am on a Virgin package with lots of TV, theoretically very High Speed Broadband, and inclusive weekend / evening phone calls. We are generally happy with our mobile phone setup. Currently I am with Virgin and could price-match them into taking a few ££ off, but really the performance is poor and intermittent, and I want to move. Our requirements are: decent Internet, Freeview type selection of TV channels, and phone with inclusive weekend / evening calls. We cannot get a good signal for Freeview (tried that first). However, following the neighbour's removal of a couple of trees, we can now have a satellite dish. Suggestions, and also comments on Now-TV, would be welcome. Ferdinand

Heh. Will have to try that.

I see no reason why not, except for the annoyance of recharging etc. Look up boat items? What is the requirement - eg nightlight, low-luminance light to leave on etc? But you are about to get 27 alternative suggestions. Here are my three 1 - Replace ceiling light with one with two directable spots. 2 - Use a low voltage one plugged in in an adjacent room, and run the small cable under a rug or carpet. 3 - Put a person detecting bulb in the ceiling light, so that it switches when someone walks in.

How thin do you think you can make those walls?

Welcome. It will interesting to hear your contributions as a real world PH architect. On solid vs glass perhaps arrange some weekends away in modern Landmark Trust buildings and AirBNBs with views to see what you like if you have not both lived in it before. This one in Devon? Slope, modern, views, office-with-a-view etc. https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/search-and-book/properties/anderton-house-4644 We like people who use tags. Ferdinand

As an alternative, my microwave has now come out onto the worktop, and the hole is being turned into a 600x600 worktop space using a single porcelain mottled-grey big floor tile trimmed on one side. Seems to work OK, and will have painted MDF liner inserted.

One Mr Livingstone did something similar in Camden in the 1970s, by compulsorily purchasing a lot of people's houses. Built some decent very well designed flats I think, but ended up with costs ludicrously out of control - they had at least one development costing more than 80k per unit to construct in the early 1980s. I do not see them getting that sort of behaviour through now. As it happens I saw a bulldozer for the first time today on the Housing Estate site that I sold to a developer 18 months ago with outline pp and a full set of reports including a Phase II ground and gas monitoring. Original project to obtain PP started in Spring 2013. This was quick, and anyone saying they will get significant numbers of Council Houses built within a single 5 year term without reinventing us as Cuba is being a little optimistic imo. (Edit: I see that Supermac abolished Planning Fees :-) ). The Council next door has some good land for Council Houses, since no one buy it with PP at fire sale prices.

@Tennentslager I think this should be relatively straightforward, but there needs to be a little careful research. I think that 590x455 is a standard (plus or minus a few mm) size - my built in microwave with a warming draw beneath is in exactly such a hole. And minor adjustments (say +10mm in height or -5mm each side in width should be allowable for (eg trim the wooden top panel and paint the edge or fix a couple of strips of dark timber down the edges). So 1 - My previous setup was microwave mounted on rail kit on the shelf with cosmetic alu or stainless surround panel. I found one sufficiently the right size to fit the existing panel and even the mounts by taking some measurements and taking the surround panel and a tape measure into my local Curry's and measuring all the freestanding microwaves until I found an acceptable one that fitted closely enough. I might have had to move one mounting rail 10mm but that was about it. 2 - Equally you may find that if you talk to the shop or manufacturer they may well have panels to fit all of their built-in microwaves that match your standard size hole for £10 or £25. 3 - It is quite fruitful putting "built-in microwave 590mm 455mm" into Google. 4 - Some of the bigger online sites have filters for different values of height and width. eg Appliance World Direct http://www.appliance-world.co.uk/microwaves?sort=na&perpage=12&price_slider=£68+-+£13439&opt[]=22_3858&opt[]=23_3859 My local superstore does not offer this filter but just their microwave page suggests at least 2 or 3 close to your requirements from the first page of results. https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/st/integrated-microwave-ovens So you have several options. Ferdinand

Three Grand Designs episodes which may be useful to rewatch: 1 - The house in the Cotswold built *under* an old barn - called Underhill House. 1st UK Certified Passivehaus. 2 - The one in Bath where a couple of Doctors spent £300k+ on their excavations. 3 - The one in Penzance where the young Interior Designer such a double garage underground at the bottom of her garden. 4 - Wasn't there also an early strange one in Cheltenham built below ground in the back garden of an elegant terrace? 5 - The one in the Lake District built into an old quarry where they skimped on light-tubes and ended up with indoor gloaming. Ferdinand (Edit: Item 4 added. Aelf-build projects always expand beyond the design) (Edit: and item 5)

Fog Cutter Construction Cocktail recommended. If you use the full Fog Cutter, you may not surface until after the PP verdict. Ferdinand

Sleepless nights? Or the joys of pre-scheduled publishing? Nice piece. Could you link to that light fitting, please. Make sure you pay Howdens on time. I forgot to this summer .. and it became "interesting". They escalate quickly.

I am not the world's best plasterboarder or plasterer (I have done areas up to the size of say a chimney breast), but I think he should perhaps be using plasterboard boxes (the push-in type with grippy side flaps) not wall mount boxes if those are sections where there are service voids and space behind. On skimming plaster - yes they should be doing contiguous areas in one go up to boundary elements to avoid joins. Plastering is not exactly slow to do - a large room a day is perfectly doable by one plasterer. As they do it it will be in sections, but aiui they always plaster up to an existing wet edge and then spend a lot of time polishing the surface. People on here know more than me and will explain things I have wrong. Three Weetabix for Breakfast today! Ferdinand

Thanks. In the end I went with some warm white non-dimmable LAP ones from Screwfix - not quite as high output or perhaps quality, but still 5.3W and came in packs of 10 so give me some spares. Here - review at 5* by 70 reviewers. https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-gu10-led-light-bulb-345lm-5-3w-10-pack/8140k Ferdinand

Disinterring this thread... I need a recommendation for GU10 LED bulbs to use with the Inseki range of ceiling lights from Screwfix: https://www.screwfix.com/p/inseki-4-light-spotlight-brass-220-240v/7601v These are giving me 3 or 4 directible but not dimmable spots for an average (say 4m x 3.5) metre room. I think I need LED spots (probably warm-white) with a highish output. Can anyone recommend a decent supplier and bulb? Cheers Ferdinand

Thanks for that. I am gradually coming to terms with how excellently and intricately our previous owner layed out the upstairs in a hipped/gabled roof to optimise the layout. There is hardly an upstairs wall or door in line with the downstairs version and the place is full of doglegs in walls to give greater space or perceived space to rooms both sides sorted for where you need thec xtra perceived space depending on where you circulate, pause avdoors etc. It must add 10-15% to the perceived space if you add up the size and seeming size of each room. I have been unimpressed at the edges for the last couple of years because of slightly cut workmanship corners but the space usage planning here is verging on brilliant. We do have a few options but it is going to take overlaying both sets of plans and some careful tracing of overs, unders and visual use of spaces to avoid compromising existing good things. I also have a strong personal view that disabled adaptation should be such that future owners will not take it out as clunky or compromising of utility (often the first thing they do), and that it should be integrated equally into the general usage of the house and not be tucked out on a limb somewhere like an add-on kludge or a mad aunt in the attic from Jane Austen. I will try to post the plans, but my particular project is on a slowish burn of a couple of months thinking time. Thanks for the reference and your detailed account. F

Consider future nails tenancy too. I would be attracted by something that let expose the whole caboodle by undoing 4 or 8 screws.

Is it a good sign when your test item breaks the equipment :-) ? Good result.

OT: Do you have a Google maps or streetview link? That sounds potentially untenable. Where I am they banned cycling in the entire town centre (Mansfield) after a couple of schoolkids startled a few people cycling round the outdoor market one afternoon. So now it is a 15 minute push-and-walk or go via the multilane ringroad for kids from the other side of the town centre visiting the Rebecca Adlington Swimming Centre.

Yay . Somebody else from Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire. Just noticed since @PeterW outed us all. I think the principle is that lighting cables carry so much less current than other things that use of foam etc has few implications, particularly where LEDs are in use. Personally, I have enough recessed downlights that I have come to hate significantly dislike the things, and any changes to all of them are a major undertaking. I love the idea of seal holes (Onk! Onk!) being filled with expanding foam - some expanding foam that would be. An @Onoff project. Ferdinand

We have been planning for a few years for my parent to move downstairs, but it appears that the huge bedroom, rooflights, view etc are still attractive. So now we are talking about lifts and stairlifts (which the Yanks call, delightfully, "Chairlifts", as if you reach 89 then go skiing down your stairs.) I have been suggesting planning for these for some time, and now I find I may need one myself. In addition to stairlifts we are considering platform lifts (ie on a deck with half height or full height surround) and cabinet lifts (cabinet like a telephone box). Does anyone have any real world experience with these? The issues seem to be: 1 - That it meets the need, safely and practically without ever leaving the user stranded. 2 - How far the spec goes - eg lift large enough to carry wheelchairs or not. 3 - What happens after the need is ended (eg impact on sale of house) vs minimal value if it is sold. 4 - Then more minor questons such as whether a walk-thru or drive-thru (2 door) lift is a more useable option, or eg a smaller lift and 2 wheelchairs for upstairs and downstairs, and if it looks like a hospital-import. We are nowhere near the wheelchair stage yet, but it needs to be considered. As far as I can see the realistic options and costs are: 1 - Stairlift, which is removed when the need is no longer there. Cost new say 2k -> 5k. 2 - Minimal lift, which is clearly a temporary add on. May be essentially self-supporting. Remove when need no longer there. Costs say £10k+ for the lift plus install. 3 - Lift integrated into house design/structure, with the extra aim of enhancing the house. Costs say 25k+ including the lift as may require structural work. 4 - Something refurbished by the manufacture. I can imagine these being 30-50% of the new price, which - if it is a piece of kit costing thousands *may* be worth a look subject especially to safety / reliability / guarantees. Any comments one any of this would be welcome, as there are a lot of angles to tease out. The hsoue here is a converted bungalow with angled roofs all over the place upstairs, and a lot of walls not quite aligning with downstairs, so we will just invite some reps and give them the run of it and ask for options in the first instance. Ferdinand

I guess that would be a good first question .

Most of us calculate Design EPC numbers using the free FSAP software from Stroma. This is a thread for help and questions, since I may be about to ask a few. Ferdinand

We have had one nearly like this for a couple of years, with a frosted glass alu framed door, and the experience has been great with a couple of small caveats. There are (or were) various depths front-to-back. It is very white and it does need a quick wipeover every day. But we all do that in showers every time we use them (don't we? ) and that is fine. The obtangular bowl with square corners is a very useful shape for eg soaking things. Also, if you choose one with integrated places and shelves for the soap, to put bottles of unguents etc, then those are a pain to keep clean. We have taken to putting a white tupperware type container that arrived with Chinese takeaway egg-fried-rice on each shelf, and replacing periodically. It works. On the other hand the Ikea stainless clip-on-the-edge soap dishes and containers are excellent. So excellent quality and value but get a streamlined one, protect your cubbyholes, and use the clip on thingumajigs. Ferdinand

I provided a Switch as illustrated for my rewiring of the Little Brown Bungalow, but the electrician has used a different solution involving some sort of thing that looks like a small CU. Will have to take a piccie today. @Barney12 Er ....